Ash tray



Feb. 20, 1934.

INVENTQR V (Zr/"1611i- ASH TRAY Filed A ril 4, 1932 H. G. CURRIER, JR

ATTORNEY WITNESSES Patented Feb. 20, 1934 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES 6' Claims.

This invention relates to smokers articles or accessories, and has particular reference to an improvement in ash trays of the type which are designed to afford a rest for cigarettes, cigars or the like.

It has been observed that ash trays which have been previously devised are open to certain objections and possess certain deficiencies, notably, their failure to provide against the contingency of a lighted cigarette, either freshly lighted or partially consumed, becoming overbalanced by combustion and falling outside of and free from the tray, where not only damage may result to the surface finish of an article of furniture, a furniture cover, a floor or floor covering, but as a further result, a potential fire hazard is thereby created.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an ash tray of improved construction, by virtue of which-such objectionable features and deficiencies as above enumerated are eliminated, thereby insuring against the contingency set forth.

The invention further comprehends an ash tray in which the rests or supports for a cigarette are so designed as to offer isolated and minimum contact portions, in order to'material- 1y reduce and practically eliminate sweating of the cigarette by affording ventilation adjacent the points of contact.

Other objects of the invention reside in the comparative simplicity of 1 construction of the tray, the economy with which it may be produced and the general efficiency derived therefrom.

With the above recited and other objects in view, reference is had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which there is exhibited one example or embodiment of the invention, while the claims define the actual scope of the same.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an ash tray constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating the same in active use, said section being on a plane indicated by the line 1-1 in Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the tray.

In the form of the invention selected for the purpose of illustration, the tray is disclosed as completely formedfrom a single piece of material, which is molded, cast, spun or equivalently produced and which is not at allessential, as the same may be fabricated from several pieces without departing from the scope of the invention. In describing and claiming the invention, reference will hereinafter be made to the use of the tray for cigarettes, although, obviously, the tray will be useful for cigars, cheroots or pipes. It is, however, common knowledge that the cigarette presents the real problem which the present invention aims to solve, in that the cigarette is free burning, whereas, conversely, a cigar or cheroot tends to become rapidly extinguished if not actively smoked.

7 Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, 10 designates a substantially cup shaped receiver open at the top and adapted to accommodate ashes, burnt.matches, cigarette butts or other refuse. In addition to the receiver, the tray embodies a plurality of means for horizontally supporting cigarettes radially of the 'receiver, which means in the present instance is disclosedas radialnotches 11, although it is to be understood that said ineans may assume form-s other than notches within the scope of the present invention. In any event, the supporting means defines a pair of spaced outer jaws 12 which in the present instance are the outer edges of the notches 11. The tray further includes means defining a depending outwardly declining rest surface 13 which in the present instance is the outer periphery of the frustoconical flange l4. Thesurface 13 and outer edges of the notches 11 or jaws 12 together define a re-entrant angle. In addition to these features, the tray further comprises a rim 15 adjacent the lower portion of the rest surface 13, the upper surface 16 of which rim inclines upwardly and outwardly from the surface 13.

In order to minimize sweating, the cigarette support or rest means, in the present instance the notches 11, is of a distinctive configuration, the lower portion being substantially V-shaped with the walls a diverging upwardly and merging into convex curved portions 1), whereby the periphery of a'cigarette C of the usual diameter engages at isolated points 0 approximately at the juncture of the convex curved portions with the divergent notched walls a. This minimizes and localizes the contact and affords ventilation below as well as above the points of contact to reduce and practically eliminate sweating.

The tray has been designed and proportioned with a view of accommodating the average American cigarette which with but few exceptions ever exceeds '1 cm. in length, so that the point of balance at the halfway mark is not more than 3 /2 cm. from either end. Bearing these measurements in mind, the upper surface 16 of .cigarette becoming overbalanced by loss of weight on the inner end due to combustion, will due to the angular disposition of the rest surface 13 with reference to the jaws or edges 12 be engaged by the jaws when it assumes the position illustrated by the cigarette at the right in Figure 1 of the drawing. Obviously, this serves as a means to prevent rolling of the cigarette sideways, due to the fact that the upper end of the unconsumed portion is straddled by the jaws or edges 12. In this position, it is also apparent that as the cigarette is consumed, the supporting force of the ash will still be afactor in preventing sideways rolling of the cigarette, so that before there can be any possibility of lateral movement, the remaining unconsumed portion with the lighted end will be somewhat less than 2 cm. in length. This length will be accommodated by the rim 15, as demonstrated by the lowermost cigarette butt illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing. Obviously, a partially consumed cigarette arranged in one of the notches or supports 11 if becoming overbalanced and toppling outward, will slide and roll downwardly and will be received and retained in the rim 15'.

From the foregoing, it will thus be seen that an ash tray has been devised which accomplishes the purposes in view, namely, the prevention of a lighted cigarette arranged on the rests from falling outside of the tray as a result of becoming overbalanced by combustion and the provision of rest means which minimizes and practically eliminates sweating.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a smokers refuse receptacle open at the top, of a rest for horizontally supporting a cigarette at the upper edge of the receptacle, a rim below said rest and outside of the confines of the receptacle for receiving a partially consumed cigarette and means at the inner margin of the rim spaced outwardly from the outer edge of the cigarette rest and adapted to cooperate with the said outer end of the cigarette rest to temporarily hold a partially consumed overbalanced cigarette until its unconsumed portion is of a length which will be accommodated by the rim.

te races 2. The combination with a smoker's refuse receptacle open at the top, of a rest for horizontally supporting a cigarette at dially of the receptacle, a rim below said rest and outside of the confines of the receptacle for receiving a partially consumed cigarette and means defining an outwardly declining surface adapted to cooperate with the outer end of the rest to hold an overbalanced cigarette against lateral movement until the length of its unconsumed portion can be accommodated by the rim.

.3. An ash tray including a body fashioned t form a central main refuse receiving compartment open at the upper end, a radial support portion having a pair of spaced outer edges, a depending outwardly declining rest surface portion defining together with said outer edges, an obtuse re-entrant angle and an outer rim adjacent the lower portion of the rest surface and inclining upwardly therefrom.

4. The combination with an ash tray open at the top and including a cigarette rest having a substantially vertical outer end, of means disposed outside of the confines of the tray for receiving an overbalanced cigarette, including means defining an outwardly declining surface intersecting the vertical outer end of the rest and an upwardly and outwardly inclined rim adjacent the lower end of said declining surface.

5. An ash tray including a body fashioned to provide a central main refuse receiver open at the top, means for horizontally supporting a cigarette radially of the receiver, said means including a pair of spaced jaws, means affording a depending outwardly declining rest surface, which surface together with said jaws defines a reentrant angle and an outer rim adjacent the lower portion of the rest surface, said rim inclining upwardly and outwardly therefrom.

6. In a smokers accessory, the combination with a smokers refuse receptacle open at the top, of means for horizontally supporting a cigarette radially of the top of the receptacle and means adapted to receive an overbalanced cigarette and to cooperate with the first means to holdsaid cigarette against lateral movement until its unconsumed portion -is reduced to a predetermined length.

HARRY G. CURRIEP, J1

the upper edge and ra-l 

